


Pause

by pansythorns



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sharing a Bed, this is the sappiest shit i've ever written i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7257250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pansythorns/pseuds/pansythorns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shu is exhausted. Kuro tries his best to help his old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pause

**Author's Note:**

> i never publicly share any of my fics but there's a first time for everything i guess. please consider kuroshu. i beg of you.

As the briefcase-like school bag is slung over his left shoulder, Kuro gathers the rest of his belongings and leaves classroom 3B after another day. It's a bit before sunset; the 3rd year had decided to brush up on some studying after class for a change. Kuro runs a hand through his hair and sighs, making his way out of the classroom and down the hallway. The school's so calm and quiet this late in the day, it's an extremely nice change of pace. With all the chaos his classmates usually cause, it's not exactly what you'd call a peaceful atmosphere during school hours.

There's no practice today; something about Souma catching a cold then apologizing profusely over the phone to both Keito and Kuro for not being able to attend their usual practice session. 'I swear on my life it will not happen again! I'll make sure that I am in top condition by sunrise tomorrow morning!' He said. More than likely something insinuating _seppuku_ thrown in there as well, but Kuro couldn't remember.

As he makes his way down the hall, he passes by the room that the handicraft club usually hangs around in. Kuro himself isn't a part of it, but he's obviously interested in the practices that take place within it. He cranes his neck to look through the door's small window, peeking in to see if maybe his old friend was still around, overworking himself on another outfit design. Sure enough, the blotch of pink obscured by the window's dustiness is proof enough. Kuro twists the handle of the door and makes himself welcome.

"Oi, Itsuki, what're you still doing—" The redhead stops abruptly, realizing that said old friend is completely passed out in his seat, head rested sideways on table (and on top of whatever it was he was sewing).

Kuro takes a few steps closer and chuckles under his breath. The sight of his childhood friend, sound asleep, mouth slightly gaped, _drooling_ , on top of both his project and an array of thread and needles, was too much for him to take in. _'Poor guy probably worked himself to exhaustion'_ , Kuro thinks. Shu had a habit of doing that — not quitting at anything until he got it 100% perfect. He was a master at what he liked to do best — sewing. Even Kuro knew that, but any little frub-up would send the pink-haired ventriloquist into an obsessive frenzy. Shu had probably been working on this for hours, maybe even days. Not to mention, ever since the incident with Valkyrie's last live and Eichi's sabotage, the guy probably hasn't slept very well at all. It's no surprise that he's completely exhausted.

"Itsuki," Kuro begins, softly, "Oi, wake up." He pushes on Shu's shoulder.

A slight shift and a louder-than-usual breath.

Kuro sighs. Ideally, he'd want to go straight home, enjoy a relaxing TV program on Animal Planet — _Too Cute_ , perhaps — and curl up with some hot tea, alone. But it seems he has a change of plans. He sets his bag down on the table and slides his arms between the sleeping 3rd year and the chair, gently picking him up and carrying him like a bride.

"Idiot... working yourself exhausted like this." Kuro mumbles as he uses his elbow to open the door. He'd have to leave his school bag behind for now. Not that there's anything super important in there, anyway. As for now, this sad excuse for a friend is his top priorty.

Kuro makes his way down the hall to the school's exit, limp pink-haired boy in his strong, yet gentle, hold. Shu stirs every now and then as they walk, but never fully wakes up. Kuro had no idea that he was such a heavy sleeper. When they were just kids and had sleepovers constantly, Shu would always wake up in the middle of the night, consistently, then claiming he heard something tap on the window, or that something was climbing on the roof. Of course, Kuro always just told him it was the trees, or some squirrels that had made their way onto the top of the house. Every little "scary" noise woke little Icchan up. By the end of almost every night, Shu would end up curled at Kuro's side, trembling and gripping his hand. Kuro never really cared, as long as his Icchan felt safe and secure, it didn't really matter where he slept.

No matter what woke him up at night, it seemed that sleeping next to Kuro lulled him immediately back to sleep.

Kuro's lips crack a tiny smile as he watches Shu's sleeping face twitch every now and then. He didn't look peaceful, even in unconsciousness. His eyebrows were still knit tightly together, his mouth quivering ever so often. _'Probably having some sort of nightmare about Tenshouin'_ , Kuro wonders. A quick adjustment of arms to get more comfortable, and the redhead looks down road. Seems his reminiscing on the past made time fly by, seeing as they were nearly to Kuro's house.

Trying to unlock the front door while carrying a 59 kilogram grown man isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. However, Kuro manages, bumping the door open with his elbow and closing it behind him with his foot. He feels Shu subconsciously grip his shirt, long fingers tightly holding onto the fabric on his chest. His heart skips a beat for some reason, but ignores it and makes way to his room.

Kuro's bedroom isn't anything fancy, not at all, but it's mostly tidy and relatively normal-looking. There are a few cutesy posters on the wall and a couple "girly" knick-knacks on the bedside table, but nothing too weird or off-putting. He flips his keys off his finger, aiming for the side table. They end up on the floor, but that's fine for now. Kuro carefully unlatches Shu's fingers from the death grip on his shirt and as gently as he can, crouches, laying his friend down onto the bed. Shu shifts a bit, as if getting comfortable. For a split-second, Kuro thinks maybe he's been awake this whole time and is just trying to get himself spoiled. He knows that probably isn't the case, but he recalls a smaller version of the pink-haired boy doing something quite similar to that in the past. The 3rd year smiles, finding himself marvelling at Shu's sleeping face again. He looks more relaxed this time, eyebrows less scrunched together and much more contented. There's a bit of dried saliva on his chin, but besides that, he looks clear, soft, and practically porcelain. His friend has always been on the delicate side, a small frame and milky-white skin to match. He was tall, but it didn't take away the fact that he could probably break a bone easier than anyone else he knew. It takes a minute before Kuro shakes his head, as if trying to release himself from some spell Shu has put him under. He shouldn't be staring so much, how rude of him.

Kuro fetches a pink knit blanket from the dresser and shakes it out, promptly draping it over his sleeping friend. _'Hopefully this'll be more comfortable than sleeping on a desk'_ , Kuro thinks as he pulls together the curtains of his window, darkening the room a bit. Before he leaves, he quietly slips Shu's blazer off, folds it up, and places it on the dresser. Kuro knows how uncomfortable those things are to sleep in.

"Sweet dreams, Itsuki." He closes the bedroom door behind him.

 

+++

 

Shu's eyelids slowly flutter open, a room coming into view. He doesn't particularly recognize it, and his eyes haven't adjusted yet. A couple rubs, blinks and squints before he sits up and sees the room around him, the bed under him, and the blanket draped over his midsection. It's quite dark, but not dark enough to obscure everything in sight.

The bedroom feels familiar, in a way. Shu spots a few items displayed around that he remembers from a long time ago, things that he's seen before. A peach shaped analog alarm clock on the side table. A handkerchief with a small yellow flower stitched into a corner, haphazardly hanging off of the dresser. A soft pink, hand-knit blanket laying precariously over his lap.

_'Th... this is...'_

The door slowly creaks open, and a light flickers on overhead.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Ryuu-ku— K-Kiryu!?" Shu splutters, flinging the blanket over his legs and onto the floor.

"How'd you sleep?" Kuro asks, nonchalantly.

"Why am I here!? In your bed? Have you finally gone completely mad and kidnapped me?" Shu accuses; he's angry, confused, and (probably) embarrassed.

"I found you knocked out in the handicraft club room. You worked yourself to exhaustion." Kuro strides over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. "I carried you here."

"Y-you—!? W...why? You should've just left me to sleep there in peace." Shu crosses his arms and turns his nose up in the air, pouting like a child.

"You didn't seem very comfortable. Your neck was craned in a weird position; you would've woken up with a stiff neck and a sore back." Kuro informs him, leaning down to pick the blanket up off the floor. "You're lucky I didn't leave you there."

Shu pulls his legs up to his chest and rests his chin on his knees. "Did you ever think how incovenient this could have been to me? Perhaps I had plans after school. Perhaps I was simply taking a short break from my sewing. Great masters of the arts need rest, too! You should have considered these things."

"You're right, masters of the arts do need rest," Kuro says, subconsciously folding the blanket in his lap. "I just let you do so in my warm, inviting bed, rather than at our dump of a school."

The pink-haired boy lets out a _"hmph!"_ of disapproval and turns away from him again. Stubborn as always, this one. Not anything you ever did for him was pleasing in his eyes.

A moment of pure silence. Kuro lays the blanket at Shu's side and hoists himself up off the bed, stretching his arms over his head.

"Well, whatever. You're staying here tonight, so make yourself at home."

Shu's head whips around so fast he nearly gives himself vertigo. "E-excuse me?"

"You've lost a lot of sleep, y'know? I can tell." Kuro looks back at him over his shoulder. "Maybe you'll finally get a good night's rest if you stay somewhere else for a change."

Shu folds his hands over in his lap. "H-how..."

"Plus, that roommate of yours is pretty noisy, yeah? He's probably another source of the problem." Kuro puts his hand on the doorknob.

"I... suppose you're correct about that."

"Well, then don't complain. You're staying here tonight. Got that?"

"... Fine. Apparently Kiryu knows best."

Kuro looks away from him and smiles. Shu might be a conceited, selfish brat — just as he always has been — but even he deserves a break from life once in awhile.

"By the way, I made some tea and croissants. Come to the kitchen if you want some."

Shu's eyes widen at the mention of croissants. Damn that Kiryu, cruelly tempting him with the delicious buttery baked goods he can't seem to ever resist.

 

+++

 

In the dining room, Shu is scarfing down croissants as if he hadn't eaten in days. Come to think of it, that probably isn't a very far-off estimate. He's likely been sewing whenever he isn't in class, on top of skipping meals, sleep, everything. Handmaking costumes and outfits is what Shu did best. It's what he was nearly perfect at. It was his only distraction from the fact that Eichi had practically destroyed the only world he knew. A world where he was in contol.

As far as he's concerned, Shu has nothing now.

Kuro sips his tea, deep in thought. Despite how selfish and terrible Shu could act sometimes, he was at his absolute lowest point right now. A good friend like him can't just stand by idly and let him self-destruct. He kept him safe and protected during youth, and honestly, Kuro doesn't want that to change just because they're older.

If his dear childhood friend can be protected from something awful, God forbid Kuro doesn't save him from it. He still had a huge soft spot for this pathetic, pretentious, pink-haired guy. How inconvinient.

"Kiryu." Shu's voice resounds in his head.

"Hm?"

"Erm... thank you."

Kuro just hums in reply.

 

+++

 

" _Non!_ Unacceptable! I don't have anything to sleep in for the night. How dare you not take this into consideration! I told you this was a poor decision. You should have left me at school, like I suggested befo—"

"I have spare pajamas. They'll fit you."

Shu stops, mid-rant. "Oh."

Kuro rummages through a box of old clothes, searching for anything he used to wear that would fit his friend's form now. He pulls out a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms and tosses them at Shu. "Will those do?"

Shu shakes out the pants and observes them with a tight expression. "They aren't exactly my style, but I suppose they will suffice for one night."

"Good." Kuro says as he buttons down his dress shirt. He slips it off his shoulders, and just as he's about to throw it towards the hamper, he notices an elephant in the room. Shu's eyes are fixated on him. "What?"

"Nothing! Continue!" Shu's body stiffens at Kuro's voice. He's trying so hard not to look. _Too_ hard.

Kuro raises an eyebrow and finishes his mid-toss of the shirt into the clothes basket. He lowers his pants and — as quick as he can — pulls on some cozy sweatpants to sleep in, and pulls a black tanktop over his head. Meanwhile, Shu has moved to hide on the other side of the bed to change into the pajamas Kuro lent him.

The pink-haired boy turns look at him from across the room. "So, what?"

"... So, what, what?"

"Where do you intend me to sleep? On the floor, like a dog?" Shu crosses his arms and starts to pout again. He hasn't changed since they were 8 years old.

"Just sleep on the bed with me." Kuro says, so calmly that he doesn't realize how strange it really sounds. Especially to Shu.

"H-how absurd! As if I could sleep with you laying right there, breathing on me — there's not enough space anyway!" Shu protests at the speed of light, not doing any justice trying to hide the fact that he really doesn't have any protests at all.

"Calm down, it'll be fine." Kuro says before his yawn can interrupt his statement. He flicks off the light and makes way back over to the bed. Crawling between the blankets, he sits up and takes out his earrings, placing them on the side table before turning over on his side. Shu, on the other hand, is stiff as a board, still standing on the other side of the bed.

"C'mon."

" _Non!_ I cannot!"

"Just get in bed. Go to sleep. Relax, for once."

Shu ironically tenses up at the word _relax_. Regardless, he reluctantly slides himself into bed, covering himself almost entirely with the comforter. He wiggles around a bit, trying to conform and get used to the fact that there's another person in the same bed as him.

This is the first time in a long time that someone has been this kind to him. Kuro has always been a particularly gentle giant, polite to almost everyone, but he didn't expect Kuro to be so welcoming to him. Carrying him to his house. Letting him nap in his bed. Making him tea and croissants for a snack. Lending him pajamas to sleep in. Everything. Sure, Kuro was his long-time childhood friend, and they would always be acquainted, but he didn't think he'd go to these lengths to help him, to make him comfortable. On top of it all, allowing him to sleep directly next to him, in his bed, it felt warm, welcoming, comforting, peaceful, _happy_ —

"Itsuki."

Shu can still see Kuro's olive green eyes in the dim lighting given off by a nightlight in the corner. "Hm?"

"You alright?" Kuro shifts, and he seems to get closer.

"I'm fine, I suppose."

"You seem content."

"... You could say that."

Kuro cracks a bit of a smile, and scoots closer, still. A minute of silence passes.

"K... Kiryu." Shu's voice is suddenly weaker, softer.

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"You said that already."

"I mean it. Thank you, for..." Kuro thinks he sees Shu's cheeks start to redden. "All of this."

"Not often do you ever thank people. Especially not more than once in a day. I must've done a pretty good job taking care of you, didn't I?" Kuro props himself up on his elbow, hand rested against the side of his head. Shu's cheeks get darker.

Despite how much Shu wants to criticize him, or to retort on that _taking care of you_ statement, he doesn't. He stays quiet for once, and begins to snuggle close to the redhead at his side. Kuro places a hand on Shu's head, petting his soft, pinkish hair. He places a gentle kiss on his forehead and closes his eyes. He doesn't see Shu look up at him with wide eyes and a face as pink as his hair.

During that night, it felt as if time had paused to give him a break. Being by Kuro's side was blissful. Just having the comfort of someone by his side lulled Shu into a deep slumber. It was the best night's sleep he'd had in a long, long time.


End file.
